Undeserved Guilt
by WindowChild
Summary: Between OotP and HBP, Molly and Arthur deal with Sirius's death. One-shot.


"Molly?"

Arthur Weasley slowly approached his wife, his hands reaching out to touch her shoulder blades. It had been a hard week for both of them.

"Molly," he repeated, resting his chin atop her head. He kissed her hair, eyes crinkled with concern.

She turned into him, her cheeks glazed with tears, as he'd expected.

"What's wrong, love?" he whispered, holding her tightly.

She shook her head, sniffing against his collarbone. She'd been thinking about it over and over, and was still unsure how to phrase it.

"Is it the children?" Arthur asked. "They're going to be fine, Mollywobbles. Ron's nearly completely recovered."

This earned a choked sob from Molly, and Arthur placed his lips upon her moist skin. "Don't worry," he said, his voice soft. "Everything's going to be fine." He rocked her back and forth in his arms.

After a moment, he glanced at her expression again. Her silence perturbed him; it was unlike her.

"Is this about Harry?" he asked, a few minutes later. She didn't react, and so he continued. "He's going to be okay too. We can all help him, he'll be alright too."

Molly shook her head, plump tears soaking her husband's shirt. "The poor boy…"

"I know," Arthur said soothingly. "I know."

"It's all my fault."

"What?" He pulled back from her slightly, thoroughly confused.

"My fault," Molly repeated, sniffling. "Sirius's – it's – all." She gasped between the words, unable to finish.

"Molly," Arthur said firmly, shaking his head. "How on earth did you arrive at that?" He cupped her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his.

"I drove him there," she whispered. "I told him not to treat Harry like an adult. And when he didn't, when he tried to protect him, he – he -" She began sobbing again, hiding her face from Arthur's view.

He began to stroke her hair, heaving a deep sigh. "Oh Molly… you didn't do a blessed thing to cause this. Nobody did." He didn't add _except for Bellatrix_, since he thought it might upset her.

"Your words didn't cause this," Arthur said. "I promise you, Mollywobbles. He was stronger than that."

"Was he?" Molly blubbered. "Harry believes that Severus's goading made him do it."

"How do you know?" Arthur asked, petting his wife's red locks.

"Dumbledore said," Molly replied. "Harry blames him, and I – I don't want him to blame me." Another wave of tears spilled forth from her eyes, and Arthur finally understood. She felt responsible because she felt responsible for Harry himself, and she worried that he'd hold her at fault for this tragedy.

"Molly," Arthur sighed, his arms locked around her. "You are not Severus. You did not taunt him, and you certainly did not cause him to go to the Ministry of Magic. Whatever anyone says, his recklessness was his own fault." He felt his eyes swim suddenly beneath his glasses, and was surprised. It was true, though. Sirius had been their dear friend, and he had taken no precautions with his life. It would have been a lie to say that Arthur was not angry with him.

"Arthur," Molly said, glancing up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting him to know that _she _understood _him_ too.

They stood a moment, caught in their respective renditions of grief. Molly with guilt, Arthur with blame and anger. They were unexpected reactions for each, and only the two of them truly understood it.

"Have you seen Remus?" Molly asked at last, her voice sodden with sympathy.

"No," Arthur admitted. "He's with Tonks at St. Mungos. I – I couldn't bring myself to…"

Molly leaned her cheek against his, nodding her head. "Of course."

Arthur closed his eyes, realizing how lucky he was. He loved her more than he could express. "Would you like to go today?" he asked. Remus would need them just as much as Harry would, he knew.

"Yes," Molly whispered. "We should – we should go." She stepped back by the window, reaching for Arthur's hand. "Can we go to the hospital wing afterwards?"

He nodded, nearly smiling. Her worry for her children would remain one of the things he loved most about her.

"We'll get through this together, won't we?" Molly asked. She dropped Arthur's hand, returning to his embrace instead.

"Yes," Arthur replied. "We will." A tear fell, trembling, down his cheek. They'd gone through so much already, and he knew it wasn't nearly over. Not for any of them.

"We'll be together," Molly repeated, allowing the words to comfort her. While she was full of sadness, fear was no longer an emotion she concerned herself with. Worry, yes. Terror for her children, yes. But as long as she had Arthur, she knew she had nothing to be afraid of.


End file.
